A Stay at Hotel Dimensia
by Blue Raspberry Ametrine
Summary: After a long journey, Taiclee the Zoombini finds a place to sleep at Hotel Dimensia, the forest's premier hotel. Two shot.
1. A Stay at Hotel Dimensia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zoombinis. Also, the title isn't supposed to be an insult to Dementia, it's a canon location within the game.**

Taiclee could feel her heart beating in her chest. After seeing so many of her fellow Zoombinis fall when they tried to enter the rooms, she was expecting the floor below her to disappear, and she'd fall to the ground.

Normally, this wouldn't be too bad. She had tried twice, and it didn't hurt for more than a few seconds. But, this time, it was almost night. She wouldn't have enough time to try another room before the hotel closed. And even worse, she was the only one left. She'd have nobody to help her fend off the Fleens as she made it back to the nearest shelter.

She wished Ulla had stayed with them, and help them in, but Taiclee understood the band was waiting too.

Finally, she mustered the courage, and stepped onto the platform. She winced, closing her eyes, in fear it would give out below her. But, it stayed there, and the door opened.

"Woah!" She whispered, as she walked in. Just as soon as she did, before she had a chance to take it in, a loud woosh came from all around. She jumped back, seeing that all the platforms had retracted.

"What did I say?" Said a familiar voice from outside the room. "I knew you could do it! A place for everyone, and everyone in a place. See you all in the morning!"

It took a few seconds, but Taiclee began to feel her stress fade away, or at least as much as it could. She knew they were only halfway there, and there was a long, perilous journey ahead.

As she knew her jitters would keep her awake, she decided to explore the room.

It was a lot bigger than she had expected when she walked in. It was pretty deluxe as well. To the left there was a small kitchen, zoombini-sized, as if her kind were the only ones that stayed here. It was strange, really. Everyone and everything here had been bigger than them, as if they were walking in a world of giants.

There was an oven, a refrigerator, and a microwave. A single counter was topped with a cream-colored marble stone. It was a whole lot better than back in Zoombini Isle, at least since the Bloats arrived. Thinking of them still gave her shivers. Their name… she thought of their name like a swear.

Left in the refrigerator was a single slice of pizza, a granola bar, and a can of soda. Looking over it, Taiclee found a note from the hostess. ' _I figured you kids would be hungry, so I got some snacks for you all when I saw you approaching. In the morning, Continental Breakfast will be warm and delicious! Sleep well!' - Ulla_

Many people didn't understand that Zoombinis could actually eat or speak. Sure, they didn't have mouths, but they could speak through telepathy, and digest through magic. It was hard to explain, especially when their telepathic speech wasn't always 'picked up' by people, but they could. If Ulla noticed this, she must be some sort of Zoombini expert.

At first, Taiclee was worried about the connotations of Ulla knowing about her species, but then, she instantly remembered how hungry she was. Besides, someone that friendly couldn't be planning anything malicious. She hadn't had anything truly filling since they had left Shelter Rock. Berries and nuts found throughout the forest weren't a good meal.

Even though the pizza brought back memories of the stressful trolls, she enjoyed it. Whoever made it was a master chef. (Or possibly just a pizza machine.)

After she finished the slice, she went to the center of the room. The entry door had been closed, but that was probably a good thing. It was midnight out there, and somewhat cold under the shade of the trees.

Behind her, there were two interior doors. One was labeled 'Bathroom,' and had the usual soaps and stuff you'd find in a hotel bathroom. These soaps smelled of petrichor and pomegranate. The walls were a dusty pastel blue, and the floor was covered in small, ocean-colored tiles. The sink too was made with elegant marble, and the shower was perfectly clean.

She decided to take a shower, finally having a chance to get clean again. The water was warm and steamy, and like with the kitchen, it was much better than back home. The Bloats never let them take showers for more than 10 minutes; she stayed in longer in an act of 'rebellion.' Still, if the one you were rebelling against wasn't there, did it still count?

She pushed the thoughts of the Bloats out of her mind once again. As much as she tried to forget them, as much as she tried to stay strong for her sister, they terrified her. She was secretly so afraid that they would find them, and drag them all the way back to Zoombini Isle. They would make sure they never escaped, forcing them back into slavery, even harsher than before.

As much as it hurt her to leave her home, the place she grew up in, she was happy to be gone. She was finally free! She could finally see her sister again, who had made it to the 'Promised Land' on one of the first few ships. Plus, she got to see amazing places like this.

Thinking of her sister made her smile, at least, it would have, if they had mouths. She was smiling in her mind, at least. _Adrua… I'll see you soon._

After her shower, she slipped her shoes and hat on before she investigated the door on the right. This one's label read 'Band Room,' and it had a small window. Looking through, she saw Ulla and her band getting ready to resume. She watched in awe as they began to play, and the music drifted through the hotel. It was just soft and calm enough to be a lullaby.

The song began to make her sleepy. Her eyes drooped down lower than even the Zoombinis who naturally looked like they were about to fall asleep at any moment. As much as she wanted to enter the band room, and listen in closer, she knew she needed her sleep. This may be the last time they'd have a nice place to rest until they reached the promised land. She heard the rooms at Shade Tree were the same as Shelter Rock, with hardly enough room to get comfortable and even lacked doors.

The bedroom section on the right side of the room just looked like an average bedroom, nothing too special, besides maybe the furniture. The bed and the bed stand were both carved out of small, light brown logs, perfectly Zoombini-sized. A forest like the one they had just traveled through was on a painting hanging above the bed, tying the whole room together. The blankets had an intricate wave pattern, with matching pillows fluffed to perfection. A small night light shimmered in the corner.

As soon as Taiclee had gotten in bed, the lights around her faded, leaving the night light the only thing brightening up the room. Between the warmth of the room, the beautiful melody playing outside her room, and just the general exhaustion from the journey, she found herself falling asleep in just a matter of minutes.


	2. Talking With Ulla

Taiclee's eyes slowly opened, light streaming through from… somewhere. As much as she wanted to remain in bed, she remembered what Ulla had told them about breakfast, so she forced herself to push the covers away, and wake up completely.

As she stood up, the lights came back on. She drudged back to the bathroom, taking another shower, this one a bit shorter. Finally, she was ready to go to breakfast.

The room was filled with the scent of pancakes and eggs wafting in from the main lobby. _Mmm… pancakes._ She went through the 'Band Room' door, hearing a slight click as she closed the door.

Despite the label staying the same (as it hopefully would, although you never knew in this strange world of constant change), none of the instruments or stands were in the same place. They had all been shoved into a corner, with the center being taken up by counters of food, and some of Taiclee's zoombini friends already eating at fold-out tables, covered in plastic tablecloths pattern with orange leaves.

"Ah, another one! Good morning! Eat as much as you'd like." Ulla waved from the back of the room, sweeping away some dust from another wall of doors. These doors were a bit bigger, probably large enough for a Fleen, or a small Pizza Troll.

Taiclee then noticed the other two walls. All of the walls had 25 doors, of varying sizes. The zoombini side where she entered was the smallest, the adjacent wall the second smallest. The other two were a bit bigger, able to hold someone of Ulla's size. There was an extra, 26th door for an exit, on the wall with the largest doors.

She pondered as she walked over to the pancake-cooking station. _Why were there so many different sizes for doors? Did other creatures come by here? What kinds of creatures? Were they dangerous?_

Taiclee had an uncanny love of 'flat' foods, such as pancakes, pop tarts, waffles, and of course, pizza. Pancakes were definitely her favorite, however. Her worries of danger briefly faded as she watched the dough pour into the grill. (The pancake maker was more automated than usual, since Zoombinis didn't have hands to pour with.) It was similar to the Pizza Maker, except you could see the pancakes being cooked.

She got pancakes, sausages, a tall glass of milk, and on top of it all, a strawberry yogurt. Finally, she sat down, at one of the tables with nobody else there. She ate in silence for a few minutes.

As she ate, she felt something behind her. Not an actual thing touching her or anything, but like… someone was watching her. She dipped her head down, her bangs almost getting in her food. But, she felt better, when she realized it was just Ulla.

"What's wrong, honey?" Ulla asked her. "Wouldn't you rather eat with your cousins?"

The small Zoombini sighed. "I… I don't know."

Ulla blinked. "Is anything wrong?"

"Yeah." She heard herself responding. "My sister isn't here. She already made it to… whereever we are headed, and I miss her." A single tear rolled down her face. "How do I even know if she's still there? What if I ever see her again? What if the Bloats live there too?"

Ulla's eyes grew wide as Taiclee blubbered, fighting back tears. Finally, Ulla cut her off. "Honey, If you follow these trails, you will reach Zoombiniville. Ever since you all started coming up here, I've visited multiple times. Maybe I even talked to your sister. You do look familiar. What was her name?"

"A-adrua." Taiclee choked out.

"Hmm… that name does ring a bell... " Ulla trailed off. "I think... " She paused. "I've talked to your sister when she came by here! She was worried about _her_ sister."

Taiclee finally felt a sliver of relief. "What did she say?"

"Well, she said she was nervous. She wished you could have gone together, but she knew you could make it on your own." Ulla smiled, showing her bright, perfect teeth. "She said you were smarter than you realize."

"I guess… I did figure out the pattern at the sneezing cliffs!"

"See?" Ulla patted her on the head. "Smarter than you realize. And, I assure you, she's safe in Zoombiniville. Now, if you need anything, especially a good song, just come to me, alright? Unless I'm tour, I'll be here."

Ulla walked off, chatting with some of the other Zoombinis. But, it was obvious to see she had helped Taiclee, more than _she_ realized. A smile that hadn't been seen in awhile spread across her face. Taiclee began to feel the same determination that the others had, maybe even stronger.

"Adrua, I'll be there soon."


End file.
